The Dogs of War
by Ryker Davis
Summary: Sam left for college Dean and John continued hunting without him. Dean and John separated and now Dean is missing. John has come to get his youngest son to help him find his oldest. Can they put aside there difference long enough to find Dean and will they want him back when they find out what happened to him during the time he was missing. Set in the beginning of season one.
1. Chapter 1

John pulled the Sierra Grande against the curb across from the apartment building his son was calling home. He glanced at the numbers on the outside of the building and took in the neighborhood. Sam was doing alright for someone who sold his family out to follow his dream. He double checked the illegible scrawl on the paper one last time and sighed.

He wouldn't admit it to anyone but he was procrastinating that walk to the second floor apartment. They had left things so bad the last time they were together. They hadn't fought in four years but it's a little hard to fight when you don't speak. As far as he knew his boys weren't talking either.

There were times he would trade the battles back in Nam for the fights between him and his youngest. The ones in Nam he had a chance of winning. He often joked with Bobby when the old hunter would put up with him, that Sam was the worst combination between him and Dean. Bobby would just mutter idjit under his breath and go on to the next subject as if John hadn't been saying anything. One more sigh and John opened the door and slid out of the truck.

He needed to get in gear he figured his youngest wouldn't appreciate the hour and he needed Sam to agree to come with him. The distance was eaten up with long legs and before John could convince himself to change his mind he rapped sharply against the wooden door. John stood there for a moment and heard no sounds coming from inside the apartment. He waited a moment and knocked again, this time with a slightly heavier hand.

This time he heard movement from inside the apartment as a sleepy voice holler out, "hold on. I'm coming."

He almost let out a bark of laughter at the look of astonishment on his youngest face. The humor was short lived when that same son slammed the door in his face. For a moment John was speechless. Even with all the issues between them he didn't think Sam would refuse to see him. John was willing to chalk the door up to his youngest surprise. His shock quickly turned to anger when the door didn't reopen. "Samuel Winchester, open this door immediately."

Sam had leaned forward against the door jamb and tried to breathe deeply and come to terms with the man standing outside. John was the last person he expected to see as a matter of fact there were times he wondered if his father even knew where he lived. But of course he surmised this would be the weekend his past caught up with him. If he didn't open the door, John Winchester would get angry and storm off and his law school interview on Monday would be safe. He knew his father well enough that John would leave and try to call Sam so not to attract any more attention to himself.

But when his father barked an order just like old times he just kind of obeyed without thinking about it. His hand twisted the doorknob when Jessica came out of their bedroom and asked sleepily, "Who's at the door, Sam."

He opened the door partially and turned to look at the blond, "I'll tell you about it later. Why don't you go back to bed and I will join you in a little bit."

John didn't have the time or patience to deal with his son's attitude and finished pushing the door open far enough to step through. "Sam we need to talk."

"Nice dad, four years of nothing and then you just shove your way into my home."

John clenched his jaw so tight the muscle under his eye began to twitch. It hadn't been five minutes and the boy already started. If he didn't need Sam's help he would lay into him and remind him that he was his father. Whatever he was going to say however was cut off by the young woman coming over to stand by Sam.

Jessica could see the discomfort in Sam and placed on hand on his shoulder and the other around his upper arm. "Did you say this was your dad?"

John did a once over of the woman and cringed at her lack of modesty. "Yes, I am Sammy's father, John. You must be Jessica."

"Hi," Jessica said and looked at Sam with a smile. She had been asking about his family and he kept changing the subject. Now she was going to have a chance to get to know them.

"It's Sam, not Sammy. Why are you here?" Only the frown was enough to let John know he was uncomfortable with his father's knowledge of his life away from the family business.

"I need your help."

Sam scoffed at his father, "So when does the great John Winchester need help?"

"Watch your mouth boy."

Sam didn't mean to come to attention with his father's tone but the action was so ingrained that his body did it automatically.

John cursed himself he wanted to get Sam to come with him and that wasn't going to happen if they got into a fight before he could even explain to Sam. He took a deep breath and said, "Dean is missing. You would know that if ..,"

"If what dad? You made the rules remember. You said and I quote if you walk out that door don't ever come back."

Jessica gasped softly and squeezed Sam's arm for support.

John had the good grace to look away for a moment and then said, "Look Sammy… I mean Sam. I spoke in anger and said things I shouldn't have and you held a grudge."

"A grudge, dad? You're unbelievable. Only you would make this my fault."

This was pretty much exactly what John suspected would happen when he thought about bringing his youngest into look for his oldest. If Dean hadn't been missing for so long he would have turned around and left. "I need your help to find your brother. You know the one who took care of you."

Sam scoffed. "He's an adult dad. Even perfect little soldier Dean needs a vacation once in a while."

John's jaw clenched in anger and it was taking every bit of self control he had not to lay his son out. "He is not on a vacation, Samuel. Dean doesn't shrug his responsibilities and not for more than nine months."

"Nine months, dad," Sam demanded indignantly. "And you're just now looking for him."

Jessica was surprised again. Not that Sam wanted to talk about his family but she would have thought he would have at least mentioned a brother. "Have you contacted the police?"

John snorted derisively. "No, Caleb just found the Impala in a motel parking lot. Tell me Sam do you think your brother would take a break from her?"

Anger at his father quickly blossomed into fear for his brother. The hope that Dean had somehow finally found the strength to leave the family business was crushed. His brother loved that car too much. From the time Dad gave it to him at eighteen Dean treated it as if it was real even calling her his baby.

Sam looked at Jessica for a minute and sighed. "Jess, why don't you go to bed, dad and I need to talk."

Jessica looked back and forth between the two men and almost asked again about the police. Sam must have known what she was going to ask because he just shook his head. She stood on tip toes and kissed his cheek. "It was nice meeting you Mr. Winchester. I hope you find Sam's brother."

John offered the young woman a tight smile to thank her for her concern and watched as she left the room. He waited until he heard the bedroom door close before speaking softly to Sam. "Sam I know that things aren't great between us right now but Dean and I need your help."

The youngest Winchester sighed deeply. "Look dad, I will help but I have to be back here before Monday morning. I have something I have to do."

"Something more important than your brother," John snapped.

"No dad, just as important as my brother. You raised us to help people. You know there are other ways to do that just hunting."

John had no clue on how he could have raised someone so selfish. He had become someone that could just allow the thing that killed his mother get away with murder. He tried to teach them the skills they would need to find the thing that killed his mother and put an end to it. Helping people along the way was an added benefit. "I don't want to argue with you right now. Let's just find Dean and you can get back to pretending your doing something with your life."

Sam reminded himself that Dean was in trouble and bit back his retort and prayed they found him quickly. He motioned his father to follow him into the kitchen and pulled the carafe out of the coffee maker. "What do we know? You said Caleb found the Impala, Where?"

John watched Sam work and appreciated his jump right into the problem. Dean was a good soldier who followed orders. But Sam's was better at getting information and putting together patterns. "Caleb found the Impala when he checked into the Stowaway motel in a little town call Twin Falls Idaho."

As John elaborated on the condition of the Impala Sam poured two cups of coffee. He put the one black in front of his father and walked to the refrigerator to get the creamer. "What was Dean doing in Idaho?"

John wrapped his hands around the large mug and just smelled the coffee. Sammy gave it to him black but it was a watered down version of what he normally drank. "That's the thing Dean was doing a salt & burn in Jonesboro Arkansas. I was in Springfield dealing with a possession."

Sam's eyebrows shot up into his messy bangs. "Dean was hunting alone?"

"Yes Sam. Your brother is twenty five and since you're not there to watch his back, who else would you suggest."

Sam wanted to snap at his father and tell the man it was his job to watch Dean's back since he force his son to live the life but part of him felt like a hypocrite. He was supposed to be watching his brothers back. He took a deep breath, "what about Dean's stuff."

"Everything was neatly folded in the back of the trunk. When we looked it didn't seem like any of the specialty weapons were missing. His gun, his knife, the jacket, and the necklace you gave him were piled on top of folded clothes in the trunk."

Sam's lips quickly twisted into a frown. From what was said it was made to look as if Dean just walked away and never looked back. But Dad was right he would never leave the Impala or the necklace. Sam pulled out his laptop and typed into Google maps. "So do you think he is in Idaho?"

"I don't know Sammy. I know Dean didn't drive to Idaho without checking in with me. And we can't tell exactly how long the car was parked there or if someone else was driving her. We looked none of Dean's alias checked in there either."

"Did he know where you were going to send him after the salt and burn? Maybe he wanted to get a jumpstart," Sam asked pulling up interstates for possible routes that Dean or whoever stole the Impala might have used.

"No I didn't have anything new. I thought he was going to go north and stop at Singer's place he said he had a couple things he wanted to replace. It was a month later and I hadn't heard from him. I tried his cell phone and there was no answer. I left a message and still he didn't call me back. I was ready to rip that boy a new one. Then I called Singer and he said Dean never made it. He assumed I had called him and sent him somewhere else."

"A month dad, really?" Sam didn't really mean to snap at his father but the disappearance of his brother was becoming more real.

John didn't say anything. Sam had a point and if he had checked on Dean sooner the trail wouldn't have been cold before he even started. He quickly swallowed several gulps of the now lukewarm coffee and said, "I know it's not a lot to go on but I thought we could go back to the motel and see what we could find."

"Where is the Impala now?"

"Singers place. I had towed there three days ago. When we get Dean back he is going to want his car."

Bobby's yard was a good place for the Impala. He almost asked his father if he could drive it while they looked for Dean but decided it wasn't worth it for just two days. He would finish the interview and maybe head back out.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the following:

silversnakes; droiddeanallicas; Entsun; Galatea83; Smokengote; Lobke Grayson; Poppyflake; OPGrimReaper; Tango Dancer; squidgy78; musicalfrog;

Thank you for the review: squidgy78 I am glad you liked the summary and the chapter, joyusbabs- I hope you like this chapter as well, OPGrimReaper- Yes Atlas here is your next chapter.

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Vanessa heard the rumble of the truck engine before it turned into the driveway. For a moment she grasped the examination table tightly to stop the tremors racking her body. She hoped he had gotten away and found his family. But the truck outside her building could mean only two things. Jackson found him or Jackson killed him and was bring the body back to gloat. She took a deep breath, picked up the otoscope and gently inserted the end of the instrument into the dog's ear.

She debated on finishing the exam on the Ridgeback after Jackson left. Most of her patients hated the man. "Joshua, come here please."

A young man in nurse scrubs walked into the room. "He's back."

"I know. Can you take Riley here back and put him in one of the kennels. I don't want him getting upset with Jackson's presences."

Vanessa saw the hair stand-up on her assistant's neck and realized time was up. She handed him the dog and said, "Go."

She turned around as a kicking a dog crate shoved his way through the two metal doors separating the exam room from the reception area. Her heart fell as she saw the size of the transport kennel; it was too small for a dog of his size.

"Here bitch I brought you a present," Jackson said as kicked the crate causing it to roll on its side. The large man guffawed as the dog inside yelped.

"I am not a bitch," Vanessa said a slight growl punctuating the last word and defiantly looking the newcomer in the eyes.

Still laughing Jackson dropped his six foot four inch frame into one of the visitor's chairs and watched as the woman walked over to the crate and turned it right side up. "That's right you haven't whelped yet. When is the good doctor going to do something about that?"

She gritted her teeth in an effort not to say exactly what she was thinking. I would just cause her more trouble down the line. Although when she looked into the crate she couldn't help the expletive that came rushing out of her mouth. "What the hell. This crate is designed for a medium sized dog, not a freaking German Sheppard."

The grin faded from Jackson's face and he stood to his full height. "Before you start defending that damn dog you better remember he ran away. Dr. Marcus sent me out after him so he didn't hurt a defenseless human. I would have put him in the bigger cage but the son of a bitch bit me."

Vanessa just glared at him and sarcastically snapped. "Then it's a good thing you're a werewolf then isn't it."

He advanced on Vanessa allowing his teeth to grow and grabbed her by the throat. For a minute he squeezed just slightly enough to cause difficulty breathing. "You might do well in remembering that, you fucking mutt. I could tear your throat out right now and munch on your heart."

For a moment the only thing Vanessa was aware of was the growling coming from the cage on the ground next to her and the spots before her eyes. Just when she thought she was going to pass out Jackson released her with a slight shove. It took everything in her power to remain up right and not look at the floor, but she knew if backed down now he would have dominance.

When Vanessa didn't hit the floor as he had intended Jackson spun around and kicked the cage once more for good measure smiling at the yelp from inside. He stormed out of the vet's office to find the doctor and a good stiff drink and not necessarily in that order.

Vanessa took a deep breath and literally shook herself to get rid of the uneasy feeling. A quick touch to her throat assured her Jackson wasn't intending harm just put her in her place. She bent down, opened the carrier and called Joshua all at the same time.

"Get that side and undo the screws we need to take the top off. He is not going to be able to get out the door."

Joshua didn't say anything and went straight to work. He had been brought here six months ago after running away from home. Jackson was the one who lured him into the impala offering a hot meal and some cash. Then he started his pitch about how no one would ever hurt him again and so on. What Jackson had not said was that he would be the one throwing the punches instead of his father. He had stood on the other side of the door afraid to come in while Jackson was here but he was afraid to leave Vanessa alone as the same time.

As they removed the last section of the carrier Joshua expected the large dog to bolt and stood a little out of his way. Instead the German Shepard painfully climbed to his feet and took a step out of the cage whimpering.

"Joshua, help me get him on the table."

She watched the boy visibility gulp and look at the dog in question. "Josh he's not going to hurt you. I promise." She looked down at the dog and said, "Right? You know it might hurt but we are trying to help you."

They maneuvered the ninety pound dog on to the table and Vanessa sighed when she saw the damage and it was only the superficial stuff. "Joshua, get me the ketamine and a syringe."

She was stopped by the growl from the table. She looked at the dog and then to the vial in her hand. "You're telling me you don't want this."

The dog laid flat on his side and huffed.

"NO. I am not treating you without giving you something for the pain."

Again the dog growled.

"What if you bite Joshua or me?"

The German Sheppard lifted his head and looked at the vet and snorted before letting it drop to the metal table top.

Vanessa just chuckled and exchanged glances with Joshua. "I wasn't suggesting that you would bite us on purpose. I just meant if we touched a place you were … extra tender."

She might have said more but she heard them in the hall way and watched Joshua go pale. "He is going to want to get off this table no matter how badly he is hurt. Hold him. "To the dog she said, they are coming to see how you are and if you get off this table I will pump you full of so much ketamine you will sleep for the next month. Do I make myself clear?"

The large brown head lowered to the table with a soft whine.

She turned and watched the door waiting for the two men to show themselves.

Jackson entered the room first and found the chair he was sitting in earlier. She could smell the alcohol from here and hoped he just drank enough to take the edge off. Dealing with a drunken werewolf wasn't easy and right now she wished she'd had a syringe of the ketamine waiting.

The thin man who entered after him was completely sober and most assuredly annoyed.

"How is our patient?"

"I just started to examine him. Your attack dog over there put him in a kennel designed for a beagle."

Vanessa felt her skin prickle as Jackson started a growl deep in his throat. Cringing slightly she stood up straighter and waited for her throat to be torn out.

James Marcus looked at the girl standing at the table and shook his head. He was going to curb her smart mouth it was going to get all of them in trouble one of these days. "Now, Now, I am sure it wasn't that bad. Jackson was trying to get him home safely."

"Besides if the damn dog hadn't run away in the first place I wouldn't have had to put him in a kennel in the first place," Jackson said with a smirk.

Vanessa just snorted, "As if Jackson, you're a bully. You like throwing you weight around and it was the perfect excuse for you to take hostility on them."

Again James had to get in the middle of them. "He is providing a strong hand where it is needed. But I understand your softness and needing to protect them. They need to be reminded when they break the rules there will be consequences. He ran and Jackson had to bring him back."

"He's a hunter. He is going to looking for his family."

"He has no family any more than you. They didn't want to have to kill him because he became a monster."

Vanessa heard the soft whine and twisted her fingers in the long hair along his jowls. "That maybe but it doesn't stop him from trying to find his family. He wants to hear it from them."

"Do you really think that after nine months if they were trying to find him they wouldn't? If you still think they don't know then by all means let's turn him loose and see if the great John Winchester will talk to him with anything more than a silver bullet to the brain. Both of you need to grow up, live with what you have become, and use it. That is what Dr. Marcus is trying to get you to do."

Vanessa didn't know what to say. He heart ached for the dog on table. And Jackson's tone held no anger, no gloating and she wondered if maybe he was telling the truth after all it is what her uncle and mother did to her.

When the vet looked at the floor and there was only a soft whimper from the patient James cleared his throat. "Now that that is settled he needs to change."

"He can't. He has several injuries that I need to take care of or when he shifts he will be lame," Vanessa said quickly.

James looked at her speculatively and sighed. He was going to have to do something about her independence and soon. Maybe Jackson was right and it was time to try something different in the routines. "Very well, by tomorrow both you and Mr. Winchester will present yourselves in my office. We need to discuss your punishments, His for running away and yours for protecting him."


End file.
